Trump on Juneteenth: ‘too many non-working holidays.’ See list of new holidays he declared
- President Donald Trump criticized the number of federal holidays in a Truth Social post that fell on Juneteenth.
- Trump has delcared new holidays during his second presidency, such as Victory Day for World War I and II and Gulf of America Day. They are not paid holidays.
- Trump has not recognized Juneteenth in 2025.
President Donald Trump said the U.S. has "too many non-working holidays," but he hasn't shied away from other holiday proclamations.
In an apparent critique of Juneteenth, Trump said in a June 19 Truth Social post that non-working holidays are costing billions of dollars to keep businesses closed. Private companies are not forced to close on federal holidays like Juneteenth, which commemorates events of June 19, 1865, when the last Black people enslaved by the Confederacy were ordered free.
Trump has railed against the number of paid holidays for federal workers in the past, while also proclaiming new holidays.
Trump says 'too many non-working holidays'
Trump's post on Juneteenth criticized the number of federal holidays, which most federal workers have as paid holidays. There are 12 federal holidays in 2025; most federal holidays have been created by legislation passed through Congress.
But during his second presidency, Trump has issued other holiday proclamations, which would not be paid holidays, to recognize special days like:
- Victory Day for World War II - May 8
- Victory Day for World War I - Nov. 11 (though that day is already federally recognized as Veterans Day.)
- Gulf of America Day - Feb. 9
"We already have too many Holidays in America," he wrote in a May 5 Truth Social post when announcing the holidays for WWI and WWII. "There are not enough days left in the year. We were Workers then, and we are Workers now!"
Did Trump acknowledge Juneteenth? What he said on Freedom Day
Trump's 2025 Truth Social post did not mention Juneteenth.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked by reporters earlier in the day whether Trump was expected to commemorate Juneteenth.
“I’m not tracking his signature on a proclamation today," she responded. "I know this is a federal holiday."
As of June 20, no Juneteenth proclamation has been released from the White House.
Trump has previously honored Juneteenth, including in his first term as president. But Trump created controversy in 2020 after scheduling his first rally since COVID-19 lockdowns in Tulsa, Oklahoma – the site of one of the worst massacres of Black Americans in the country's history – on Juneteenth. He later changed the date of the event.
Who signed Juneteenth into law?
Former President Joe Biden.
It has long been celebrated by Black Americans, but it rose to national prominence in 2020 amid protests against racial inequities, sparked in part by the police killings of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd. It was officially recognized as a federal holiday by then-President Joe Biden in 2021.
Juneteenth also called 'Black Fourth of July,' 'Freedom Day'
Juneteenth commemorates the events of June 19, 1865, when the last Black slaves of the Confederacy were ordered free following the arrival of Union troops in Galveston, Texas.
The day has also been called Freedom Day, Emancipation Day and Black Fourth of July.
What are the federal 'non-working' holidays?
According to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, here is the full list of U.S. federal holidays in 2025:
- Jan. 1, Wednesday: New Year's Day
- Jan. 20, Monday: Martin Luther King Jr. Day; coincidentally, that date was Inauguration Day, Trump's second as the 47th president of the United States
- Feb. 17, Monday: Washington's Birthday, celebrating George Washington and days after Abraham Lincoln's birthday. Many state and local governments designate it as Presidents Day.
- May 26, Monday: Memorial Day
- June 19, Thursday: Juneteenth
- July 4, Friday: Independence Day or July Fourth
- Sept. 1, Monday: Labor Day
- Oct. 13, Monday: Columbus Day
- Nov. 11, Tuesday: Veterans Day
- Nov. 27, Thursday: Thanksgiving Day
- Dec. 25, Thursday: Christmas Day
Contributing: Jeanine Santucci, Saman Shafiq, Melina Khan, Jessica Guynn, Cheryl McCloud, C.A. Bridges; Paste BN Network
Kinsey Crowley is the Trump Connect reporter for the Paste BN Network. Reach her at kcrowley@gannett.com. Follow her on X and TikTok @kinseycrowley or Bluesky at @kinseycrowley.bsky.social.